Watermelon and Bamboo Shoots

I have eaten more watermelon this summer than I have ever eaten in my entire life. We eat it at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And then we eat it as a snack, and then every place we go to is like "foreigners... must get them watermelon" Haha, it's up there with rice...

Well, just two weeks left here. Part of me is ready to be home. I miss food, friends, facebook (it's blocked right now), flushing toilets, and of course... free speech. Be thankful for where you live. Oh! and elevators. I will never be as thankful for elevators as I will be when I get home! You would think I would get used to climbing 8 flights of stairs multiple times a day... but I haven't.

But another part of me does not want to leave. I love my fourth graders. I have been building some great relationships with the teachers. The food is good, like nothing I would eat in America. But the biggest thing I think I will miss is my Family here. They are so passionate about sharing. They are not afraid of being persecuted. And they are constantly, and I mean constantly looking for opportunities to spread the Father's love. For me it is just a trip. Just two months of my life. But for them it is every single day of their existence. Oh yeah, they falter, and they have hard days. But I have not seen a day go by, good or bad, where they have not made a constant effort to share about who HE is. They have shown me what it means to BOLDLY share the Good News,

I am humbled by them

Update on my fourth graders... they love me. haha, are you shocked?! I was determined to make their class fun and let me tell you... it is FUN! I love teaching it. I have gotten to teach them every single day. Saturday I had about 25 kids and then when I walked into class on Monday I had 40.. seriously, I counted. They split it into two classes after Monday and I still get to teach both of them. When the whistle blew yesterday for class to be over the kids let out an "awwww!" they were really sad it was over. It reminded me of why I love to teach.

There is a group of ten here from America and they have been a HUGE encouragement. Father changed their plans the day before they came to this country and boy, am I glad He did. What a gift they have been. We have been able to share with a lot of people this past week. Quite a few of them being high schoolers. Seeds have been planted. Lift for growth.

Today was an AWESOME day!! We were told we were going to a bamboo forest. But let me tell you it was nothing like I had pictures. Think of an amusement park, a water park, and a zoo, all put together with a ton of things being made out bamboo. It was awesome! I rode the bus with lots of the children... way More children then you would think could fit on a bus. I spent the whole morning with my 4th graders... laughing and trying to communicate and just being a kid. My favorite part was the water area. It was a series of obstacle courses in water. I had not planned on getting wet but that didn't last long. What a great day!

The picture is of Josh and me trying to get each other to fall off. The barrels move... I won :)